Page 68 of Tricky Princess

“I know she was fierce, I know she was powerful…but her fate is not mine.”

“Things will never change.”

Stubborn fucking demon boys…

“Open your eyes, Ros; they are already changing. You have been too focused on me, on my parents, you haven’t seen it. It may be small, but one tiny pull of the thread can unravel so much.”

He looked away from her, scanning the rising sun. They only had so much time before she needed to meet Devon and Billy, so she continued.

“You have seen your title as a curse, a tainted legacy you are being forced into. Maybe you need to embrace it, mold it into something you will be proud of.”

He turned back to her, and a sad smile crept across his face.

“When did you turn into the wise one?”

“When I was kidnapped by a king of Hel and brought to a place that needed more saving than me.” She wanted to say more, needed to, but he looked so hurt, so determined to not hear what she was trying to say.

“You never needed saving.”

Ellea’s head cocked so fast she thought something snapped.

“Excuse me? I’m sorry, I think I blacked out for a moment. Can you repeat that?”

“Don’t be a brat. Now control your beast so I can kiss you.” He walked his horse next to hers, and Mhairi barely contained her anger.

“I’m so proud of how far you’ve come.” Ros cupped her face so gently, but his kiss was fierce. She kissed him with the same fever, pouring as much emotion as she could into their joining.

“I’m proud of how far you’ve come too,” she added. “I would have thought you would try to kill your father at least once, or burn the castle down.”

Ros laughed and kissed her again. Their conversation wasn’t over and she’d been dumb to think something so massive would be settled during a morning ride around Hel, but it felt like a start.

“We should go back before Devon wanders off and tries to pull an Ellea,” Ros said, rubbing his thumb across her puffy lips.

“I wouldn’t put it past him.” She turned her mount back the way they came.

“I heard they never found the mortal, even my father won’t say,” Ros said.

“Which one?” Elle asked.

“The only one?”

They had been keeping it a secret, refusing to speak of it in the halls or near the castle.

“There have been ten mortals and four supernaturals,” Ellea said with a proud smile. Even her beast seemed to prance under her.

“You…ten mortals?” He gaped at her and fumbled with his words.

“Ten mortals and four half mortals-half supernaturals.”

“You can’t take people from their homes and put them in another territory, Ellea.”

Not you too.

“But it’s not their home; they aren’t with their family, their friends.”

“And yet you don’t want me to send you back to your family and friends?”

“You know it’s not the same.” She couldn’t help but glare at him. He didn’t understand, hadn’t seen what it was like. Maybe she could convince him to go, just once.